Education – Intervention – Prevention
Emma, age 6, struggled with dental phobia and extreme fear of the dentist. She was suffering. She had pain and needed extensive dental care. Emma’s mom was expecting a baby three months later.
We spent time reviewing oral health education, and concentrated on relieving some of her fears. Understanding barriers that our patients face, we try our best to complete all care right at our Dental Homes. Only when truly needed we refer to a hospital for treatment in the operating room under anesthesia.
With Emma, we tried. But referred her out after all, with mom’s desperate wishes to complete her care prior to the arrival of Emma’s new sister.
The family waited 5 weeks for the first consultation, spending 5 hours at the hospital.
They received the unfortunate news that only 30% of the consults qualify for this type of care. If she did, Emma’s treatment would be scheduled 6 months later!
Emma and her mom returned to KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center. Through fear and some tears, we were able to treat her first tooth! With time, Emma became comfortable, and started enjoying her visits and the staff support.
Investing the time needed to ease her in, we prioritized value over volume. Emma’s extensive care was successfully and slowly completed at our Dental Home, avoiding a wait of many months for care under sedation at a local hospital.
Emma’s treatment was completed prior to the birth of her new sister, and she was glowing with a beautiful smile, to a big a round of applause!
Mom wrote, “Thank you to the amazing staff at KinderSmile Foundation for treating Emma with so much patience and love. You guys rock!” #ItTakesAVillage